The Present Disclosure relates generally to plug connectors and more particularly to a plug connector with improved shielding.
Plug connectors are well known in the art as connectors terminated most often to a cable containing a plurality of wires, and configured to mate with an opposing mating connector. These plug connectors, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 7,303,438, issued 4 Dec. 2007, typically utilize a circuit card with contacts arranged along a leading edge of the card as the mating portion of the plug connector. Such a connector has a housing formed from an insulative material. This connector is mated to an opposing connector and in order to mate, the plug connector is inserted into a hollow conductive shell member that is mounted on a circuit board.
Electromagnetic interference (“EMI”) is prone to occur at the mating interface and along the body of such plug connectors and the shroud in which the plug connector is inserted has a loose fit around the exterior of the plug connector. At high speeds, this interference may cause problems with the signals transmitted through the connector. Shielding on the connector is one solution, but overall, such shielding is expensive and increases the cost of the plug connector. One solution is to form a conductive exterior housing that supports the circuit card. however, this solution is expensive. Plug connectors used in internal applications, i.e., connecting connectors within electronic devices such as routers and servers have sacrificed EMI capabilities in order to maintain small sizes and cost. For high speed applications, additional shielding is required for optimum performance. A need therefore exists for an improved internal connector with external EMI shielding capability.
The Present Disclosure is therefore directed to a plug connector with external EMI shielding capability which is inexpensive.